The present disclosure relates to construction sites, ranging from the construction of mechanically stabilized (MSE) systems to road construction to commercial or residential building construction. Most construction sites involve several sub-contractors who report to a general contractor who bears overall responsibility for the completion of the construction project. While the general contractor continuously monitors the activities and work product of the sub-contractors, it is still difficult to find all the errors, accidental or deliberate, that can occur. In particular, it is often difficult to ensure that every aspect of a construction job is performed according to the specifications and plans for the job. The problem is particularly difficult when the general contractor is faced with sub-contractors trying to short-cut the process.
FIG. 1 depicts a typical MSE wall installation which includes a plurality of reinforcement straps projecting into several levels of reinforced fill. In the typical MSE construction, each layer of back fill must be compacted to a predetermined thickness in order to ensure the proper structural integrity to both support the MSE wall and anchor the reinforcement straps. Improper compaction can lead to a loose back fill that is unable to prevent movement of the reinforcement straps. Eventually the reinforcement straps can work loose in the back fill with the potential of a catastrophic failure of the MSE wall.
In the typical MSE job site, each layer of fill is dumped at the site at a depth of fill or backfill height”, which is the height of the loose fill material after it has been leveled but before compaction. Many regulations, such as promulgated by state or federal departments of transportation, require the backfill height to be no more than 12 inches. The backfill is then compacted to another regulated height, typically 8 inches. Once one layer of backfill has been fully compacted, the next layer is dumped and graded, and the compaction process is repeated. The reinforcement straps are added at particular layers.
The leading causes of failures of MSE walls are:                poor geometry        poor or inadequate backfill placement        poor or inadequate compaction        inexperienced installation contractors.        
Most regulatory agencies have inspectors that monitor all MSE construction sites, but the inspectors cannot be everywhere at all times. Poor backfill processes are not necessarily easily detected by visual inspection of the site throughout the construction process. In spite of diligent inspections MSE wall systems can fail due to poor construction.
Consequently, there is a need for a system that can continuously monitor a construction job site to spot errors interactively. Such a system could be used to stop the improper construction in god time to effect remedial treatment of the job site. This will avoid hidden defects that come to light much later after the construction is complete. Such a system would also catch poor construction early enough in the process so that remediation is relative simple and inexpensive.